Carving-fork guard



' (Model.)

S. S. WARD.

GARVING PORK GUARD.

Patented May 16, 1882.

iNVBNTOR:

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

, Forks, of which the following is UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN S. WARD, OF GREENFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

CARVlNG-FORK GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 258,172, dated May 16,1882.

Application filed December 13, 1881. (Model) .To all whom it may concernBe it known that I, STEPHEN S. WARD, of Greenfield,in the county ofFranklin and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Guards for Carvinga full, clear, and exact description.

' In my improved construction of guards of carving-forks the principaladvantages btained over those heretofore made are cheapness, facility ofattachment and removal, simplicity, and durability. The in ventionconsistsin a'guard held bya hooked spring-tongue engaging a slot in theguard, as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference ind catecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a sectional side view of a fork fitted with the improvedguard. Fig. 2 is a plan view with the guard removed, and Fig.

3 is a face view of the guard-piece.

A is the'guard-piece, which may be made of any suitable shape or style,and with forked ends a a to -stride the neck of the fork B. (l is theretaining device, consisting of a plate of spring metal attached by arivet or screw, 1), at one end to the fork B, and formed at its outerend with a hook or lip, 0, taking over the bar d, that forms the bottomof the slot (1 in guard A.

To attach the guard, the spring-tongue O is raised slightly, and theguard then slipped beneath. Thelip 0, taking over the bar d, retains theguard securely in its closed position, and on the guard being raised foruse, as shown in Fig. 1, the end of the tongue enters the slot, and thelip prevents the guard from slipping forward. In this position thebackward movement of the guard is prevented by shoulders e on tongue 0,against which the guard impinges.

The tongue 0 may beof any suitable shape, and attached by any suitablemeans, according to the character of fork. There may be a recess formedin the fork to receive the tongue,

and the tongue may be formed by being cut out of the neck.

It will be seen that this construction is simple, and that the parts canbe readily cleaned, as the guard can be removed.

I am aware that a guard for a carving-fork has been provided with across-bar which rests in a recess in the shank, and is held therein bythe free end of a spring resting upon the said cross-bar, and I am alsoaware that the boss of a pivoted guard has been provided with a notchwith which a projection on a curved spring engages, and I therefore donot claim such; but i What 1 do claim, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is

. 1. In a carving-fork, the combination, with the bifurcated guard A,provided with the slot d, of the spring G, secured to the fork, andprovided with the lip 0, taking over the bar 61, that forms the bottomof the slot (7, substantiall y as and, for the'purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the fork B, of the bifurcated guard A, providedwith the slot 0?, and the spring 0, secured to the said fork,andprovided with the lip c and shoulders e on its outer end, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

STEPHEN SELBY WARD.

Witnesses:

E. S. ELLIOT, R. B. NEWTON.

